Saga, Volume 11

Saga

by Brian K. Vaughan (Writer), Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

While Hazel and her family fight for scraps to survive, the rich and powerful race to forge new allegiances in the universe’s never-ending war. Romeo & Juliet meets Star Wars in this genre-blending, sci-fi/fantasy space opera about star-crossed lovers from enemy worlds. An epic for mature readers, SAGA follows new parents Marko and Alana as they risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. A multiple award-winning, critically acclaimed masterpiece and one of the most iconic, bestselling comic book series of its time. The SAGA series has sold over 7 million copies to date across all formats, has been translated into 20 languages, and has garnered multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards, plus a Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, Goodreads Choice Award, Shuster Award, Inkwell Award, Ringo Award, and more. It has been featured in such mainstream media outlets as TIME, Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, NPR, and beyond, and has become a pop culture phenomenon.

Collects SAGA #61-66

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Adult

153 pages, ebook

First published November 29, 2023

About the author

Brian K. Vaughan is the writer and co-creator of comic-book series including SAGA, PAPER GIRLS, Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS, and most recently, BARRIER, a digital comic with artist Marcos Martin about immigration, available from their pay-what-you-want site www.PanelSyndicate.com

BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: On retribution/absolution (tending wounds of war), main storyline won't blow your mind: the subplots matter more.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #61-63 ◦ Issues #64-66

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the first time since this started up after the hiatus, I feel the stirrings of interest again.
It feels a bit more genuine?
I can't quite put my finger on it but this volume wasn't a slog to get through.



If 11 has a theme, I think it's about not holding on to anger or wasting too much time on revenge. Most of us don't have a person we want to kill, but I'm betting there is someone that most of us really want to suffer. Or understand how badly they made us suffer.
They'll be sorry one day!
Eh. Probably not.
The kind of people who hurt you deeply, profoundly, & carelessly aren't the kind of people who typically feel regret. Not in the way you're hoping they will.
Let it go.
That's not to say you let that person back into your life - no point being an idiot! But let all of the anger go.
Breathe in, breathe out.
You've won.
When they don't get space in your head, you've won. And whatever happens to them after that point has nothing to do with you.



In this volume, you see some of the other characters and how they've chosen their paths to do or not to do the revenge thing.
We find out why Petrichor isn't with them anymore and what she's been up to in the meantime. Alana's story runs parallel with Petrichor's and the end result for each of them is a very different outcome.



Quite a few interesting things happened to Hazel and Squire in this one, but I don't want to give any spoilers.
I will say brace yourself for the ending.

[Nataliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not quite the same magic reading a single volume after waiting for a year — not as amazing as devouring the first 9 volumes over a week or so in a slightly deliriously excited brain haze.

But still it’s Saga. And it’s great, even if I start to doubt that there’s any particular direction for this series. And the artwork is just as lovely as ever. And even some heavy-handed analogies to very present-day issues are not annoying much.



And it could be worse. I could be reading it issue by issue, which would be akin to torture, quitting each time after just a tiny morsel of gorgeous pages.

And why do I think that “brobot” Squire will at some point break my heart? I hope I’m wrong, but those kids are getting old enough for Vaughan to unleash some cruelty very soon.



4 stars.

Buddy read with Dennis.

——————

Also posted on my blog.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★★★
Vol. 2 ★★★★
Vol. 3 ★★★★★
Vol. 4 ★★★★
Vol. 5 ★★★★★
Vol. 6 ★★★★★
Vol. 7 ★★★★★
Vol. 8 ★★★★
Vol. 9 ★★★★★
Vol. 10 ★★★

i was a little scared when starting this, because i didn’t love the previous volume, but this one reminded me of all the reasons i love this series so very much. it has been six months since the heartbreaking ending of volume ten, and we see where hazel and her family have been hiding this time. new alliances with so many other beloved side characters are forging, while alana is just doing everything she can to protect her kids.

i really felt like the writing in this volume was just outstanding. so raw, and real, and made me feel so many different emotions. i have said this since the beginning, but hazel narrating this story is truly the reason i believe it is so beloved, but her voice really just made me feel everything in this one. and the back to back story pages were brilliantly, yet heartbreakingly, done. (that “lying” made me immediately weep like no other word could.) but i also loved the last chapter so much too, and i think the creators really left this at a point where volume 12 is really going to start a truly new era for the series.

trigger + content warnings: death, murder, gore, violence, war, loss of loved ones - partner, parent, child (and constantly discussed), grief, slavery mention, animal death (not lying cat), blood depiction, use of the r word (challenged + in a negative light), unhoused displaced family with children.

blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon

[emma]

will keep reading these as long as they keep coming

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still with the gut punching, still with the heartrending, still with the penises flapping. Saga is as it ever was.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man…this one hurt 😞

Every time I feel like I’m going to be emotionally safe in this series something goes left….grief is a hard thing and I think that it’s something the creators are doing a great job capturing. We’re in survival mode with the characters and it makes for an interesting reading experience. I’m not sure I can wait for the next trade because this was great!

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a step up from Volume 10. The main storyline is a bit boring. Alana is stuck on a planet working a low-pay job based on Amazon fulfillment jobs - complete with a scene of Alana peeing into a grate on the floor. Vaughan does some pretty obvious references to present-day issues. Hazel and Squire get into some issues when they are tricked into stealing drugs for a lady promising to use them to bring Marko back to life.

Lots of subplots which hopefully lead up to some interesting conflicts in the next volume.

The sex talk just sounds like an AI that's spent too much time on Twitter. I cringed when the robot character talked about the girl riding his face. I spent too long visualizing how that would work.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once the highest-priority of reads, this series may no longer be at the top of its game, but it remains a solid and dependable performer. The characters all say and do interesting things in the moment, even if I have lost the thread of where it is all leading.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another volume in a series I unfortuantely don't "feel" anymore.

This, more than the last, has us follow Hazel, her mom and Squire while they are - once again - trying to earn enough to get off the planet they are currently on. Does it matter where they are? Nope! What matters is the people they meet along the way. Like that crazy old lady that offers to bring Marko back.




Yeah, I'd say there's a problem. Though I'm unsure which was more problematic: if she could actually do it or if it was a scam.

The other problem is that after a certain point, I don't want to just meet people after people after people. Everything is shit, we get it. Everything's after money or sex or both, we get it. People die, who didn't deserve it, we get it. Just get a move on, PLEASE.

I'm making this sound worse than it actually was. But I DID, in fact, get bored after some point and I really can't see where this is going. Hazel's narration from the future also leaves something to be desired by now.

We'll see what happens in the next volume and then I'll have to decide whether to abandon or continue the series.

[Alfredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saga nunca fica ruim!!! Essa HQ me acompanha há uns 7 anos, e é sempre uma alegria imensa ler um novo volume. É a única série que acompanho fielmente. Sou extremamente apegado aos personagens, à trama, às ilustrações... Nesse volume, temos Hazel e família escondidos (pra variar) num novo planeta, prestes a viajarem para um novo local com uma trupe duvidosa. As perseguições continuam, e os plots paralelos seguem me surpreendendo. Me diverti muito reagindo a cada página.

OBRIGADO POR TUDO, BRIAN K. VAUGHAN E FIONA STAPLES!!!!!!!! MINHA DUPLA FAVORITAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that I'm past the expectations I had in volume ten and accepting that Marko is dead (TBH I will carry the flame of hope that he is alive until the very last book years from now), this volume was an easier read for me. Alana is eking out a living for her, Hazel and Squire working in an Amazon-type fulfillment warehouse. They live in a tent city, and the two kids beg for money while Hazel wears a magic necklace that prevents people from noticing she is a hybrid of the two warring factions. The Will, Gwendolyn and Sophie get attacked by Petrichor with a devastating result, while on the other hand, Alana obtains a new job that affords their little family some safety. The concluding pages re-introduce us to some past characters, and they speak of peace, which I believe is eventually going to lead us toward the concluding volumes, although there will be much death and destruction before then.

[Drea · Rating 4 out of 5]

To the guy that told me Saga is a girly comic, this girlie comic continues to emotionally wreck me so there’s that.

[Halle Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I hated how vol 10 & Issue #60 ended and said I was done with this series, clearly I lied and can't stay away and low key glad about it 😅

Issue #61 read 28th of January 2023 ~ that ending tho, pls pls pls let it be true 🥰🥰
Issue #62 read 22th of February 2023
Issue #63 read 5th of April 2023
Issue #64 read 26th of May 2023
Issue #65 read 28th of June 2023 ~ I seriously have no idea which way this story is even going anymore and tbh I'm not even sure if I'm even liking it
Issue #66 read 26th of September~ tbh I'm not even liking this anymore but for some reason I'm not ready to give it up yet.

Didn't even realise this Volume was complete 😳

Not my favourite in the series but I'm addicted to these so I'll definitely have to catch up on any issues I've missed.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saga makes it's return and it's glorious.

Dealing with a promise of getting a loved one back makes two character make some very interesting choices on what they do for their future. A mom trying to just keep her kids safe and get them out of dodge. A killer trying to find happiness and another who wants revenge. All of this comes to a stunning clash, death surrounds us all, and a ending that leaves us with a bit of hope.

This is why I read Saga and why it'll always be one of the greatest of all time.

[Eva B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot believe I spent all of Vol. 10 begging for Petrichor to come back only for her to return and accidentally murder Sophie 😭 the way that Saga tackles the cycle of violence is next-level and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. Also I cannot tell if Ianthe is actually redeemed or if she’s just playing a long game with Upsher and Ghüs…

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't particularly wowed by volume 10, but this volume was a good one.

[Thibaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’est assez fort parce que même si j’avais grosso modo oublié tout ce qu’il s’est passé dans les 10 tomes précédents, je me suis rattaché aux perso à une vitesse folle. Ça vaut le détour rien que pour le cheminement que traversent chacun des protagonistes, l’auteur les fait vraiment changer, évoluer.

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saga, Volume 1 ★★★★ 1/2
Saga, Volume 2 ★★★★
Saga, Volume 3 ★★★★
Saga, Volume 4 ★★★★★
Saga, Volume 5 ★★★★
Saga, Volume 6 ★★★★★
Saga, Volume 7 ★★★★ 1/2
Saga, Volume 8 ★★★★ 1/4
Saga, Volume 9 ★★★★★
Saga, Volume 10 ★★★★
Saga, Volume 11 ★★★★

I will always enjoy reading this but sometimes it feels like the plot is going nowhere and should have a clearer direction.

[h o l l i s · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I think maybe we're getting back on track! Maybe. I definitely felt some of the old <>Saga magic with this one. Hopefully I feel the same way whenever volume twelve comes out.. and beyond.

3.5 stars

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

11 volumes in and Saga is still the shit.

That is the extent and totality of my review.

[Andreea (booksstopia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

În continuare “Saga” rămâne cea mai bună serie de comics citită de mine vreodată. Nu a existat o poveste care să apropie de acest masterpiece. World building, plot, grafică, romance… plot twist uri…totul este impecabil

[Ona · Rating 4 out of 5]

More please....

[ashes ➷]

Issues 61-66.

Just finished and can confidently say this arc was bananas. I know I'm giving the story objectively too much credit for reintroducing characters we last saw several years ago, but it's done so well and I'm enjoying every issue so much I can't complain. Praying it's true that they're going to come out more often now!!

[erigibbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unico difetto: finisce troppo presto!

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume takes place 6 months after the previous volume.

Alana, Hazel and Squire are in a new planet where Alana is slaving away working multiple jobs (in what appears to be an Amazon fulfilment center from hell) and where Hazel (11) and Squire (10) are being rebellious preteens getting into trouble when Alana isn't looking.

Meanwhile, Petrichor is on a revenge mission and doing what she can to hunt down The Will.

Gwendolyn, The Will, Sophie and Lying Cat are working together and trying to secure a pact between Wreath and the Robot Kingdom.

Finally, Special Agent Gale is following various leads while on the hunt for Upsher and Alana.

I love that each issue ends on a cliffhanger, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat. I'm also so happy that Ghus has made a reappearance (at the end of the volume).

Here are my individual reviews for each issue in this volume:
Issue #61 (4/5)
Issue #62 (4/5)
Issue #63 (3.5/5)
Issue #64 (4/5)
Issue #65 (5/5)
Issue #66 (4/5)

[Gregisdead121 · Rating 4 out of 5]

BkV is not playing!
Another outstanding issue.
Seriously this is one of the best series I've read. Not just graphic novel I mean in general. The themes it balances, the stakes it handles whilst still being able to feel mundane at times. Characters in the Saga series are real,more than drawings on a page. Beating hearts supporting minds that make mistakes, struggle to improve and hope against hope. Hidden in all the carnage, violence and chaos is an unbreakable love. Alana a character I didn't care much for is now one I respect more than anything. Her resilience is unprecedented. Arguably one of the more human arcs. The homelessness, myriad of jobs and compounding demands feel no different on an alien planet.

[Daijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating: 4/5 stars

this one felt like a bit of a filler volume but i still NEED the next volume 😩 at least i only have to wait a couple months

[Rory Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been going on for over ten years, and given its hiatuses, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples continues to be one of the best comics currently being published. As we are halfway through the epic narrative that the two creators have planned, the previous volume shows how Hazel is living life with her small fugitive family, following the death of her father Marko. The last pages, in particular, were a heartbreak as after witnessing the destruction of their tree-based spaceship, which has served as her home for so long, Hazel realises she really has lost her father.

Taking place six months after the end of the previous arc, we see Alana's resolve to improve the fortunes of her family, including her daughter Hazel and the late Robot IV’s son Squire. When Alana is approached by a pawn shop owner who says she can bring Marko back to life with the right ingredients, she refuses, only for Hazel to eavesdrop and with the help of her adopted brother, they go off on their own with the hope of resurrecting both their dads.

Through the various jobs that Alana scrapes through in order to support herself and her family, I like how these fantastical planets, inhabited by non-human characters, are treated with such mundane. And yet, no matter how normal the situations feel, whether it is pawn shop dealings, or two people having a moment of intimacy, Fiona Staples' imagination runs wild when it comes to character designs, while worlds like the pyramid-shaped planet are done through stunning watercoloured illustrations.

While Alana, Hazel and Squire does much of the dramatic heavy-lifting, particularly the latter who goes quite the transition which may not always be for the benefit of his family, we do see other subplots going on, featuring familiar faces. For instance, Gwendolyn, who now lives with The Will and Sophie, plans to sway the Robot Kingdom's allegiances over to Wreath. The Will himself, having done some horrible things throughout this series, not least of which killing two main characters, becomes a target for Petrichor's revenge. Chapter Sixty-Five is the best crafted issue, in how it jumps back and forth between the two storylines, both of which heading to some emotional climax.

With the big backdrop of the war between Wreath and Landfall that has plagued the galaxy, we have numerous players, not just the central family, having experienced the horrors of war, leaning towards pacificism, even when confronted by antagonists like Agent Gale. This is best personified by the final issue of the volume, in which Gale tries to interrogate Upsher and fan-favourite Ghüs. Saga is far from over, and no doubt there are some big plans regarding where the war is going, but as long as it focuses on the intimacy of these characters trying to live their lives during these troubling times, it remains a masterpiece.

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5

Me ha gustado bastante este último volumen de Saga publicado por el momento.

En este volumen continuaremos con las aventuras de Alana, Hazel y Squire por escapar de sus perseguidores y poder al fin, llegar una vida normal. Aunque todo se complica cuando les ofrecen la oportunidad de recuperar a Marko y Sir Robot....

Por otro lado, Gale continúa con la búsqueda de Usher para sonsacarle el paradero de Alana y Hazel, pero se encontrará con algo que no esperaba....

The Will y Gwendolyne seguirán con las negociaciones con el mundo Robot, y por otro lado, Petrichnor, decidirá consumar su venganza por la muerte de su amante....